Who Dentrix is best for
Dentrix is dental practice management software from Henry Schein One, a joint venture between Henry Schein and Internet Brands, based in American Fork, Utah. The company says Dentrix has been on the market for more than 30 years and is used by more than 35,000 practices. Henry Schein One sells two main systems for private practices. Dentrix (sometimes called Dentrix Core) is installed locally on office computers, with data on a server the practice manages. Dentrix Ascend, also marketed as Ascend by Dentrix, is 100% cloud-based and runs in a web browser. This review covers both.
Best for
- Solo and small group dental offices that want an established system with a large pool of trained staff and consultants
- Offices that prefer local installation and control of their own data (Dentrix)
- Offices that want no server and access from any browser, including multiple locations (Ascend)
Not ideal for
- Practices that want a published price list before talking to sales
- Offices without IT help, if they choose locally installed Dentrix
- Buyers who want everything included rather than assembled from add-on packages
Dentrix pros and cons
Pros
- Very widely used: 35,000+ practices on Dentrix and 80,000+ clinicians and staff on Ascend, by the vendor's count
- Two deployment choices from one vendor: local install (Dentrix) or cloud (Ascend)
- Integrated imaging, AI detection and voice notes for hands-free documentation
- Dentrix API Exchange gives access to many third-party tools
- Ascend packages include unlimited users and 24/7 support
- Ascend is SOC 2 Type II, according to Henry Schein One
Cons
- No published prices; packages and suites are quoted after a demo
- Locally installed Dentrix needs a practice-managed server, regular updates and IT support for backups and security
- Remote access to Dentrix is not native and needs a separate remote-access setup
- Henry Schein One describes Dentrix's multi-location support as limited
- Patient engagement tools are add-ons for Dentrix, though built in for Ascend
Dentrix pricing
As of November 2026, Henry Schein One does not publish prices for Dentrix or Dentrix Ascend. Both are sold as customizable packages and suites, and you request a quote through a demo. The one published price is Ascend Starter, launched October 23, 2026: $199 a month for the first year for new practices with fewer than 500 patients a year. It includes the full Ascend Pro platform, a startup consultant and monthly benchmarking. The announcement does not say what the price becomes after year one. Ask for contract length, conversion and training fees, and the cost of add-ons such as ePrescribe, patient engagement and imaging in writing.
Key features
- Scheduling and front office: appointments, recall, online booking, reminders and digital forms
- Charting and imaging: tooth and perio charting, Dentrix Imaging, AI detection and Image Verify for X-ray quality checks
- Voice notes: AI dictation that turns visit details into claims-ready notes (Ascend)
- Insurance and billing: eligibility checks, eClaims, ERAs, payment posting and patient billing
- Analytics: KPI dashboards, Daily Huddle, multi-location reporting and the Jarvis add-on
- ePrescribe: send prescriptions from the chart with drug interaction and allergy alerts (Ascend)
- Dentrix Connected Care Essentials: automatic updates, in-product chat and priority support for Dentrix
HIPAA, security and integrations
With locally installed Dentrix, data sits on the practice's own server, and backups, security and updates are the practice's responsibility. Henry Schein One sells managed IT, cybersecurity and backup services separately. Ascend stores data in the cloud with encrypted backups, role-based access and TLS encryption, and Henry Schein One describes it as SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA-ready. Ask for a business associate agreement for any cloud service.
Dentrix connects to third-party software through the Dentrix API Exchange. Ascend offers an open API. Both include electronic claims and integrated imaging.
Dentrix alternatives
- Open Dental — lower, published monthly fee with a similar on-premise setup
- Eaglesoft — Patterson's server-based system, the other long-standing on-premise choice
- Curve Dental — cloud system that bundles claims, imaging and patient engagement
- tab32 — cloud system with a published price from $95 a month and no contract
- Denticon — cloud system aimed at multi-location groups
- ComplyDay — for OSHA and HIPAA compliance training and records
